Life and Spirituality

by John Singer Sargent . Oil on canvas, "The war is not meant to be won, it is meant to be continuous" George Orwell   Y esterday I watched with much interest a debate that took place in the British Parliament on whether to bomb in Syria or not. I also visit twitter frequently and had noticed that there were many tweets against any such bombing and the polls too seemed to indicate that an overwhelming majority of the good British people were against any such adventure. The experiences of similar ones in the past have been sad and disastrous and the public is wary of the arguments politicians put forth in favor of more. A completely new concept has been invented for the war in Syria - ‘degrade’ and not ‘win’ as has been the case with wars through human history. Some politicians have explained, this implies a war going on for a generation or more, perhaps because then it produces a steady stream of income for a long, long time for the military- industri

Words of Love for Muslims T oday there are some words of love in a picture for my Muslim friends and brothers across the world, especially those In Iraq and Syria. I have lived for several years amongst Muslims and Arabs and some of my most loving friends have been from amongst them. I love them even though I could not become a Muslim myself (Ahna Yishrab – Two words in Arabic that only my Arab friends will understand). This message, because it is from the depths of the heart, is really perhaps only through me and more from the Spirit of the Universe. The message also appears on Twitter at: https://twitter.com/dr_ashok_m/status/667186530583121920 It will also be shared on Google plus too so that it reaches as many as possible.

And Gaza too Dark Clouds over Iraq and Syria - oil on canvas by ashok W hile much of the world watches the turmoil in Iraq and Syria with anguish, it is not that easy solutions to the problem were not possible. They are possible even now if what follows is heeded but there is someone who would lose - The Arms industry. How tragic it is that the world has seen such tragic scenes in Gaza, Iraq and Syria for so long, especially when far easier, far less violent solutions to the issues have been in the public domain for years now, some as indicated and linked in this post.  These solutions are not just in hindsight but have been in the public domain for years.  An old Facebook note is copied here verbatim with the latest update as below. Years ago, I wrote my views on the crisis in Iraq and because of my concern for the country, I even communicated my views to the White House and Downing street, for within my note was a suggestion for a peaceful future for that country. However,